Posts Tagged ‘Freddy Garcia’

Overview: The White Sox were an under-achieving team last season. They had a load of power, and depth in their pitching staff. Yet, injuries were abundant on the south side of Chicago, and the Sox dwindled down the stretch.

Offseason Moves: The White Sox added an abundance of players during the offseason. To address the problems in the bullpen, the Sox brought in Ps Tony Pena and J.J. Putz. To improve on offense, Chicago brought in speedy OF Juan Pierre, OF Andruw Jones, and IF/OF Mark Teahen. IFs Omar Vizquel, Jayson Nix, and Mark Kotsay were brought in primarily for defensive purposes.

Projected Lineups and Pitching Staff:

1. CF Juan Pierre (.308, 0 HR, 31 RBI)

2. SS Alexei Ramirez (.277, 15 HR, 68 RBI)

3. 3B Gordon Beckham (.270, 14 HR, 63 RBI)

4. 1B Paul Konerko (.277, 28 HR, 88 RBI)

5. LF Carlos Quentin (.236, 21 RBI, 56 RBI)

6. DH Mark Teahen (.271, 12 HR, 50 RBI)

7. RF Alex Rios (.247, 17 HR, 71 RBI)

8. C A.J. Pierzynski (.300, 13 HR, 49 RBI)

9. 2B Jayson Nix (.224, 12 HR, 34 RBI)

Backup C: Ramon Castro (.219, 7 HR, 25 RBI)

Backup IF: Omar Vizquel (.266, 1 HR, 14 RBI)

Backup OF: Andruw Jones (.214, 17 HR, 43 RBI)

1. Mark Buehrle (13-10, 3.84 ERA)

2. Jake Peavy (9-6, 3.45 ERA)

3. John Danks (13-11, 3.77 ERA)

4. Gavin Floyd (11-11, 4.06 ERA)

5. Freddy Garcia (3-4, 4.34 ERA)

CP: Bobby Jenks (3-4, 3.71 ERA, 29 SV)

SU: Matt Thornton (6-3, 2.74 ERA)

SU: J.J. Putz (1-4, 5.22 ERA)

MR: Scott Linebrink (3-7, 4.66 ERA)

MR: Tony Pena (6-5, 3.99 ERA)

MR: Randy Williams (0-1, 4.58 ERA)

MR: Greg Aquino (1-2, 4.50 ERA)

LR: Dan Hudson (1-1, 3.38 ERA)

Player to watch: The key to the Sox’s success lies in the right arm of P Jake Peavy. Injured for most of last season, Peavy didn’t make much of an impact after being traded from San Diego. However, Peavy is a former ace, and was often in the NL Cy Young Award talks. A switch to the American League should inflate his numbers a bit, although, he still has the tools to be a good pitcher. If Peavy performs like he is capable of doing, the White Sox have a real shot at taking the AL Central.

Prediction: 83-79, 2nd in AL Central

I think that the White Sox are going to be one of this year’s surprise teams, and a team that many will cheer for. They are a group of veterans that no one is really expecting much out of. However, they play in a weak division, and may have just the right mix of players to succeed. I’m thinking with my head picking them to only finish 2nd in the division because too many things need to happen in Chicago’s favor for them to make the playoffs.